"You never relax," Strong said of being head football coach at Texas. "There's always something."

By the time he arrived at the Omni Hotel for Big 12 media days on Tuesday, those accumulated "somethings" still loomed. And many of them figure to define a season he and the Longhorns hope will be a breakthrough after last year's 6-7 disappointment.

There's the saga of a recruit (defensive tackle Du'Vonta Lampkin) who has appealed to be released from his letter of intent. There's the specter of a trial in the ongoing legal battle between UT and Oklahoma State regarding assistant coach Joe Wickline.

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There's the continued growing-up process of mercurial wide receiver Daje Johnson, who might be UT's best playmaker and also just released a recent rap album. There's the story of the UT alumni's growing discontent with athletic director Steve Patterson.

And as always, there's a quarterback controversy.

"It's always some type of drama going on here," Strong said.

The quarterback drama won't end any time soon. Strong said Tuesday that when preseason camp begins Aug. 7, Tyrone Swoopes will take the field with the first-team offense. But Strong made it clear that redshirt freshmanJerrod Heard will have plenty of chances to win the job before UT's season opener at Notre Dame on Sept. 5.

"They'll both be able to compete," Strong said.

Swoopes started 12 games as a sophomore last season, shining in victories over Iowa State and Oklahoma State but struggling dismally at other times, including in blowout losses to TCU and Arkansas to end the year. Overall, he completed 224 of 384 passes (58.3 percent) for 2,409 yards with 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Heard, who led Denton Guyer to back-to-back Class 4A Division I state championships in high school, doesn't possess Swoopes' arm strength but is considered to be a more dynamic athlete. With the Longhorns moving to an up-tempo spread attack this season, Heard's running ability could prove to be a significant asset.

Still, Strong said Swoopes has been intent on showing he can be much better than he was in 2014.

"He wants to prove to everyone he can play the position," Strong said. "I hope he does."

He's also hoping he can count on Johnson, who gave Strong another headache this summer when he used Instagram to release a profanity-laced track (titled "Dealer") from his self-produced rap album.

Throughout his career at UT, Johnson has tantalized coaches and fans with jaw-dropping displays of open-field brilliance but also found himself in enough trouble to receive multiple team suspensions.

Last spring, Strong praised the 5-9, 184-pound senior for the way he had matured since the beginning of 2014. When Strong heard his musical work this summer, he called Johnson immediately.

"I said, 'What, you're not on the team anymore?' " Strong said.

Johnson deleted the post from his Instagram account, and Strong said he still expects him to play a major role in the revamped offense.

"He's come a million miles," Strong said.

Although senior cornerback Duke Thomas said he wasn't particularly impressed with Johnson's musical abilities, he said players have no complaints with his work ethic.